Summertime, and the living is easy

The Canada Day holiday weekend was hot, but not for listings, or home sales. Holiday weekends are always slow in my world, in the world of real estate, especially in the summertime. We endure the winter far too long to waste a great weekend tending to our real estate needs. People go away, go to the lake, go camping, go to Toronto and see a play or a BlueJays game. Serious buyers put their searches on hold. Sellers sit and wait, like at a fishing hole. I hardly worked at all last weekend and it was great.

More development and redevelopment news

Movies in the park

What’s better than laying on a blanket in the park? Laying on a blanket in the park watching a movie. This summer there are six movies upcoming including that ol time summertime classic — Jaws! Here’s a link.

Upgrades that add value

You would think that most home improvements and upgrades would improve a home’s value, however, that’s not always the case. If you are selling sooner or later you should think about directing your remodelling dollars to things that will pay you back later. If you’re pondering an improvement, consider these eight upgrades guaranteed to gain back money spent when you sell.

The most popular spaces to renovate and their costs

The 2018 Houzz and Home Study reveals that kitchens are still the top project. Master baths edge out living/family rooms

Airbnb’s newest weapon against regulation: the real estate industry

Everywhere you look regulators are cracking down on Airbnb. In Paris, the company’s largest market, hosts must now register with the city government and can only list their homes for 120 nights each year. In Amsterdam, new rules, which go into effect in 2019, will restrict hosts to listing for just 30 nights annually. And after the Japanese government forced the home-sharing site to cancel reservations of unregistered hosts by June 15, Airbnb deactivated 80 percent of its Japanese listings overnight.

Ontario real estate forecasted to see over 35,000 fewer sales in 2018

Ontario real estate sales are expected to drop by the most number of units in 2018. CREA is now forecasting 187,200 sales in 2018, a 15.9% decline from 2017. Sales are expected to rise to 198,800 in 2019, an increase of 6.2% from 2018’s forecast. Although 2019 is still expected to be 10.65% lower than 2017. At this time, the forecast likely isn’t modelling any changes to employment due to changes to minimum wage or full-employment.

20 interesting facts about Venice

1. One of the most sought-after jobs in Venice is that of the gondolier. There are only 425 licenses issued, and applicants must be Venetian by birth. Apprenticeships involve over 400 hours of training, and when a gondolier dies the license passes to the beneficiary, who then decides the replacement.

Sidewalk review

Cutting the grass vs mowing the lawn

In the spring and fall it seems like sometimes I have to cut the grass twice or sometimes three times a week. I don’t mind it. I get a real feeling of satisfaction looking at how nice it looks when it is done. But it turns out I’ve been doing it wrong all theses years.Link